Andrew Berry Confirms That The Browns Want To Keep Greg Newsome II

On Tuesday, Greg Newsome II responded to his name being mentioned in trade rumors. Just two days later, Browns general manager Andrew Berry essentially confirmed that the nickel corner is not going anywhere.

Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6), corner Greg Newsome II (0) and safety Ronnie Hickman (33). | Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

As Greg Newsome II's name swirled in NFL trade rumors, the cornerback responded to those rumors by stating that he is comfortable in Cleveland.

#Browns CB Greg Newsome II’s name has been circulating in trade rumors. He spoke about that today while at Berea-Midpark HS@BrownsDigestFN https://t.co/ZAvTShf1wW

— Cole McDaniel (@cdm_2910) April 17, 2024

It feels like those rumors have died down in the past week or so and Browns GM Andrew Berry may have completely ended that conversation.

During his press conference with the media at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Berry had this to say when asked about Newsome and the cornerbacks.

"We have three guys, who can play press-man coverage at a very, very, very high level. That's not a skill set that I'm looking to give away."

Nothing is ever a one hundred percent guarantee when it comes to roster decisions in the NFL, but unless another team comes calling with an outlandish offer for Newsome, then it is safe to assume Andrew Berry and company will not be making any changes to Newsome's status.

Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) celebrates the win versus Chicago. | Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plays an aggressive brand of football. Last year proved that he wants his corners to feel comfortable playing in press-man coverage for the majority of a game. As AFC teams like Houston, Miami and Cincinnati load up with dangerous wide receiver rooms, it is important that Denzel Ward, MJ Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II are prepared to play physical and blanket receivers in tight coverage.

An extremely impressive stat for Cleveland's cornerback trio came from ESPN's Next Gen Stats back in December. Each corner ranked in the top four of coverage success rate during the 2023 season. Only Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears ranked up there with the Browns' cornerbacks.

Martin Emerson, Greg Newsome & Denzel Ward all rank among the top four cornerbacks in coverage success rate this season (min. 40 targets).

Opponents have lost a league-low -157.0 EPA on pass plays against the Browns, 3rd-lowest by a defense in a season since 2016.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/gCqf4HEGsl

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 19, 2023

The Browns will only look to build off what they have already built in the secondary rather than tear things down and start all over. This makes logical sense.

Andrew Berry has now given the fans, the media and the rest of the NFL the opportunity to turn their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft rather than rumors that don't carry a lot of weight.